Sports & Recreation

Best Place to Exercise St. Louis 2001 - Forest Park

You can't ask for much more, or much better, compared with the blaring Top 40 and mechanical torture devices at indoor gyms, than Forest Park. There's its 6-point-something-mile track that circles much of its perimeter, available for runners, cyclists and Rollerbladers (who tend to take up more than their share of both the path and the supply of spandex in the city). On the north side, you can avail yourself of either a slightly dilapidated par course or the picnic shelters to do your squats, push-ups and dips. And the scenery can't be beat: If it's early enough in the day, you'll catch all manner of woodland creatures taking their morning constitutionals as well. The trails through the John F. Kennedy Forest allow for more privacy and shade, and sometimes even an X-rated show. Clearly more interesting and therapeutic than the hyped-up, super-air-conditioned über-gym you've been hauling your ass to.